Google Play’s Best of 2024 list emphasizes multi-device strategies

Best app: Partiful
Best game: AFK Journey
Best multi-device app: Max
Best multi-device game: Clash of Clans

Google has revealed its list of the apps and games who have won at its Play award categories for 2024. The list of games includes long-time favorites such as Clash of Clans and Honkai: Star Rail, as well relative newcomers like AFK Journey. According to Google, two of the honorees this year were chosen specifically because of their strong consistency across multiple devices.

The two games that won the top honors this year are AFK Journey (best game) and Clash of Clans (best multi-device game). For AFK Journey, Google said it stood out thanks to its “expansive roster of characters and satisfying tactical battle system … vast explorable world and beautiful art style.” For Clash of Clans, on the other hand, the company praised the game’s rollout on PC and Chromebooks.

Sam Bright, Google Play’s VP and general manager, said in a statement, “This year’s awards aren’t just about showcasing amazing apps, games and books; they’re a thank you to the talented developers who make the Android ecosystem so vibrant, building fantastic apps and games across all your devices … . We’ve been improving discoverability, expanding gaming options, boosting rewards and ensuring timely content delivery — all to better support the developers who power the platform.”

A few award categories appear to have disappeared this year: There are no User’s choice apps or games, for example. Google also appears to have done away with listing runners-up for each category, opting instead to spotlight the winners.